


I Know My Love Loves Me

by hesterbyrde



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Abigail Hobbs Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Canon-Typical Violence, Cunnilingus, Episode Fix-It: s02e13 Mizumono, Established Relationship, F/M, Hand Jobs, M/M, Multi, Season 2 spoilers, Threesome, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, abigail hobbs is of age, established relationship abigail/hannibal, tuscany
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 08:10:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9114469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hesterbyrde/pseuds/hesterbyrde
Summary: "I’m afraid I must rectify a deception of my own.” Hannibal rose gracefully, and went upstairs. When he returned, he wasn’t alone.Abigail stood shyly behind him, peeking out around his shoulder at Will, her lamp-like blue eyes sparkling in the dimness of the dining room. A smile barely budded on her lips as she pulled nervously at the hem of her striped sweater.Will bolted to his feet. “A… Abigail?” In his shock, he barely managed more than the shape of her name.





	1. I Am Returned to Make Amends

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings all! 
> 
> This is a very long over-due fic that I've been toying with off and on for almost 10 months. Ever since I wrote my canon-compliant Hannigail fic "Crucible" I've been itching to do a fix-it fic where the Murder!Family runs away together as they were meant to. It's gone through several iterations and rewrites, but at last it's been finished.
> 
> Please note that there is NSFW/Explicit content in this fic, and it does contain sexual material involving an of-age Abigail Hobbs with Hannibal and Will. 
> 
> This fic basically assumes my fic "Crucible" is canon, so the physical/romantic relationship between Abigail and Hannibal is already established. But you don't need to have read the other, unless you just want to see how I think all that unfolded.
> 
> The fic and chapter titles are all taken from the folksong, "Maid in Bedlam."
> 
> There is no beta-reader for this fic, so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> I'll be updating weekly, if the writing gods are good and the creek don't rise.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, and for leaving kudos and feedback. It thrills my very soul! Enjoy, and all the best!

“Do you know what an imago is, Will?” Hannibal asked as he surveyed the carnage of their dinner. 

A frown flickered through Will’s features at the question. It was a strange, rather jarring change of subject. The moment before, they’d been discussing the works of Milton and the sudden shift made him queasy. “It’s a flying insect.” He answered, his tone anticipating a reason being given for such an odd question.

Hannibal fidgeted with the stem of his wineglass, fingers tapping at its base with uncharacteristic nervous energy. “It’s the last stage of a transformation.” He further clarified.

“When you become who you will be?”

Hannibal inclined his head, still not looking up at Will. His eyes stayed fixed on the remains of the lamb “It’s also a term from the dead religion of psychoanalysis. An imago is an image of a loved one, buried in the unconscious. Carried with us all our lives.”

“An ideal.” Will’s brow creased further, but he still didn’t make eye contact. He’d been avoiding eye contact all evening. Even more so than he did upon their first meeting, though he didn’t hide behind his beloved glasses. Perhaps… Hannibal thought, it was because he was trying to hide from himself.

“A concept of an ideal.” Hannibal expounded. “I have a concept of you, just as you have a concept of me.”

The pointedness of the statement was not lost on Will. But nevertheless, he evaded the barb as he had been all evening. “Neither of us ideal.” 

Hannibal didn’t even bother to hide his disappointment. “Both of us are too curious about too many things for any ideals.” He paused as he measured his words on the invisible scales inside his mind. “Is it ideal that Jack die?”

“It’s necessary.” Will replied, derision dripping from his voice like honey. His lip curled just slightly then. A mirror of an expression Hannibal himself often wore. Stolen no doubt through his empathic guile. “What happens to Jack has been preordained.”

Hannibal swallowed and looked away, still weighing and calculating everything. The lies about Freddie. The frenzied ecstasy of the murder and mounting of Randall Tier. And the softness between them afterwards. And there were all the terrible things Jack had done to Will to consider as well. Will might want revenge just for that. To use Hannibal as his weapon. Hannibal would be his weapon. His hammer of justice. How poetically ironic. But not like this. Not with these veils between them.

“We could disappear now.” Hannibal felt the words spilling out before he had them properly measured. “Tonight.”

Will’s frown returned, pinching his face even as he fought against the reaction.

“Feed your dogs.” Hannibal went on, only just barely registering that he hadn’t formally asked Will to leave with him. He had no idea about the passports. The plane tickets. The sunshine that awaited them in Italy. It seemed far away now. A dream that was rapidly fading. But the cat was out of the bag and there was no turning back. “Leave a note for Alana, and never see her or Jack again. Almost polite.” His mouth bent in a pleading smile.

“This will be our last supper.” Will said, inclining his head towards the cage of bones on the table as he tried and utterly failed to return the smile.

“Of this life.” Hannibal replied with a tilt of his head. “I served lamb.”

“Sacrificial.” Will crunched on the word like it was made of dry leaves. Or perhaps bones.

Hannibal felt something in his chest tighten. One more time. One more offer. He would have begged if he thought it would have availed him of anything. But no… that might give everything away. Blow away the smoke, and shatter all his carefully curated mirrors.

“I don’t need a sacrifice.” Hannibal said firmly. “Do you?”

That moment was the closest to prayer Hannibal had ever come. To whom he could never say… perhaps to that imago they'd begun talking about earlier. But for what he prayed, he was so painfully aware.

Will thoughtfully bit his lip for almost too long. Hannibal thought he was going to evade again. Continue down this path. The one between the two roads, shrouded in the veils of obscurity and indecision. A path that was going to lead to annihilation of them all, in one sense or another...

But after a moment Will sighed, sagging back in his chair a little. “No.” he breathed, shaking his head.

Hannibal felt himself let go of a breath he was barely aware that he had been holding. “What do you need?” His voice sounded unstrung and desperate to his own ears. It was all he could do to stay in his chair. He needed to hear the words. Words before actions, because actions gave everything away. He needed to be sure of what Will was asking of him.

“I need… I need all this to just go away.” He said pitifully. “I can’t do this… this tangled mess of people and emotions. I can't ever be sure what I want when everyone else's voices are clamoring in my skull.”

Hannibal licked his lips, speaking carefully. “Can I give you that, Will? Or is it also me that you wish to escape?”

“I want…" he paused to lick his lips, the desperate frown on his face darkening. "I want it from you. With you. You’re planning something. I know it. Some… suitably dramatic, lavish escape. Or you were right up until you found out… found out that… You of all people.” He said, shaking his head in dismay at himself and giving a derisive cough of laughter. “You’re the one thing, ironically enough, that’s uncomplicated in my life. I know what you are. I know what you’re about. What I can expect from you. Alana? Jack? I never know what they’re up to because frankly neither do they from one minute to the next.”

“But I am predictable?”

“Maybe.” Will replied miserably. “Perhaps stable is a better word. You feel stable. You make me feel stable. Isn't that funny?” he laughed. It was a piteous and utterly humorless sound. Then he sobered, licking trembling lips as he made to go on. “I lied to you, and you know it. I don’t know how you figured it out, or when. But somehow I knew you would. I think part of me almost wanted you to. You… you were always smarter than us.”

“I’m afraid my nose betrayed you, not my intellect. After Freddie's funeral, I could smell her on you and I knew she must still be alive.” Hannibal admitted with a small smile. He swiftly stood and moved around the table to kneel beside Will’s chair. Will followed the movement with his eyes, but couldn’t look Hannibal in the face until he was made to do so by a gentle finger crooked under his chin. “Come away with me then.” Hannibal breathed, his hand tucking behind Will’s ear.

Will’s gave a small humorless crack of laughter. “Come away? To where… Neverland? Come away… Come away…” he laughed again to himself. It was an utterly miserable and slightly unhinged sound.

Hannibal smiled piteously, still cradling Will’s face and pushing his errant curls out of his eyes. “No. To Italy. But we will fly all the same.”

Will nodded shakily, already starting to list towards Hannibal even before he finished telling him his plan.

“It’s all taken care of.” Hannibal soothed, his long fingers sinking into the curls at the nape of Will’s neck. “We will fly away from all of this. From any need of sacrifices or forgiveness or preordainment. We will bask in the Tuscan sun. And you will fish in the stream that borders our new home. We will know peace, Will. You will know peace at last.” Will hummed contentedly leaned into the touch as he always had. As if Hannibal could carry him by that gesture alone. And he carried Will to his lips.

Hannibal had been prepared for Will to recoil from the kiss. For him to tense, and pull away and require reassurance. He hadn’t been prepared for Will to moan, open-mouthed and starved against his lips. It made the scrape of teeth across his bottom lip inevitable, if only to draw more sweet, needy sounds out of him.

“I have something for you.” Hannibal replied breathlessly, the sharp line of his cheekbones stained with a heady blush. His pit-dark eyes flickered with a feverish excitement. “A surprise.”

“Yeah?” Will replied, his mouth quirking up in a drowsy-eyed grin as he panted. “I hope it’s an Italian phrase book.”

Hannibal mirrored the smile, glad already for Will’s dry wit returning swiftly to flower. “Not quite. One moment. I’m afraid I must rectify a deception of my own.” Hannibal rose gracefully, and went upstairs. When he returned, he wasn’t alone.

Abigail stood shyly behind him, peeking out around his shoulder at Will, her lamp-like blue eyes sparkling in the dimness of the dining room. A smile barely budded on her lips as she pulled nervously at the hem of her striped sweater. 

Will bolted to his feet. “A… Abigail?” In his shock, he barely managed more than the shape of her name.

She nodded mutely, inching towards him. Hannibal carefully stepped out from between them.

“You’re… you’re alive?” Will stammered. “He didn’t kill you.”

“No. He didn’t.” She answered, hands working by her sides as she wrestled with the impulse to reach for him. “He found me back in Minnesota and helped me fake my death.”

“And frame me for it.” Will almost had to physically shake the words from his throat.

Her face crumpled with shame. “I’m sorry Will. I… I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Your ear?”

“Yeah, it really is gone.” She pulled aside her hair so Will could see it, along with the scar from her father’s knife that still marred her neck. Both were fading.

They were close enough to touch now, but neither reached out.

“This… this is kind of a lot to take in.” Will said, staggering back a few paces, bumping into his chair. 

“I understand.” Hannibal replied. “Take a few moments, if that’s what you need.”

Will nodded dumbly. “I’m… I’m going to go sit in the study for… for a little while.”

Hannibal and Abigail tacitly watched him go. When they heard the couch creak, Abigail looked up at Hannibal with tears pooling in her eyes.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked pitifully.

“No. No, dearest.” Hannibal assured her as he folded her against his chest. She clung to him, her hands finding their way under his waistcoat to clutch at his shirt. “Seeing you was a shock. And I’ll admit, that it wasn’t quite the unveiling I had in mind. I actually wanted to send you to Italy ahead of us, and have him see you for the first time there. But there’s been a necessary change of plans.”

“Are they coming for us?” She looked up at Hannibal nervously. 

“No, no. Not yet. But they will be when they realize Will has betrayed them. But by the time that happens, we will be far ahead of them, with new names and a new home. Come. Let’s get these dishes cleared and then we’ll see to Will.”

***

When the dishes were done and the kitchen was set to rights, Abigail and Hannibal peeked in on Will in the study. He had actually stretched out on the couch in front of the fire and fallen fast asleep. Clearly keeping up the deception had wearied him. They both watched with silent fondness for a moment before Abigail moved to stare out the window.

“What’s troubling you, Abigail?” Hannibal asked, following but not crowding her.

“I… I didn’t expect to be scared.” She admitted, reaching a hand out to him without turning around. “Everything’s going to be different with Will here. I don’t think I wanted it to be different. I just wanted him here.”

“His being here with us now will bring its own changes. He is uncertain about so much still. But what matters is that he is certain about the important things.” Hannibal replied, taking her hand and allowing her to snug his arms around her. “Remember when we talked about growth and change sometimes being uncomfortable?”

She nodded mutely, covering his arms with her own.

“We will make a way forward together.” Dropping a kiss onto the crown of her head. “All three of us.”

“I’m just scared of losing you.” Her lip quivered on the last word.

“Oh Abigail, darling.” He breathed, turning her around to face him. “I’m right here. And remember what I told you. What I’ve always told you. Ask for what you need.” He tipped her face up to his, wishing he could wipe every trace of uncertainty from her countenance. 

She nodded, a smile kindling in her bright blue eyes. “I need a kiss.”

Hannibal mirrored her humor, and bent over her whispering. “You shall have all you can bear.”

Their lips met and the world brightened for a moment, before Will’s voice came up behind them. “I wondered…”

Abigail started, and Hannibal instinctively cradled her against him, tucking her head under his chin and smoothing her hair. But he turned them both to look at Will where he lay on the couch. He hadn’t moved save to open his eyes. The firelight danced in them like something fevered and fiendish, rendering his expression totally unreadable.

"As soon as I saw you, I wondered. I could see the shape of it between you but…" Will trailed off, staring into the fire. The three of them stayed, suspended and still as if wrought in smoky stained glass, until Will finally reached out. “Come here, Abigail.” he said softly, his voice devoid of all malice or hurt.

She looked briefly to Hannibal as she felt his hold on her go slack. She drifted to Will, falling down on her knees beside the couch to render herself at eye level. Her hand dropped into his and he carefully stroked her knuckles with his rough thumb. Will licked his lips, words and thoughts reeling behind his eyes, making his brow tighten.

“Do you feel safe here, Abigail?” He asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

She nodded, clearly confused. He wasn’t going to ask her about Minnesota? About what and where she’d been all this time? She looked back to Hannibal uncertainly.

“Answer his questions, Abigail.” Hannibal encouraged. “You and I have nothing to hide from him.”

She turned back, swallowing hard to wet her mouth. “Yes, I feel safe. Don’t… don’t you?”

WIll neglected to answer right away. Instead his gaze flicked to Hannibal for a moment. “He hasn’t hurt you, or coerced you in any of this?”

She shook her head again as the furrow in her brow deepened.

“Not at all?”

“No.” she replied flatly, fighting to keep her voice patient and gentle. Like Hannibal’s was when she was worried or upset. “He… offered. That was all. It was all up to me after that. I’m… I’m sorry that I lied. I just didn’t know what else to do. Agent Crawford… he-” Her voice gave out as fresh tears flooded her eyes.

“Shh…” Will soothed automatically, his hand tightening around hers. “I know… I know. It’s… It’s alright, I promise. I’m just-” His voice cracked along with his heart. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

She nodded and let Will gather her into his arms. Abigail pressed her face into the soft denim of his shirt, breathing in the cloying smell of his aftershave and of his dogs. She almost laughed at the difference, after weeks and weeks of only the scent of clean linen, of wind off the ocean, luxurious peppermint soap, and the most expensive cologne. She felt tears stinging the back of her eyes, and she let them fall into the worn material. She was so relieved that at long last they would all be together. Hannibal was right. There would be changes, but they were together.

Will cradled her against him and gazed up at Hannibal. So many memories, accusations, and declarations passed through his mind, that he could scarcely even recognize them all, let alone frame them in words. In the end he just smiled up and Hannibal, and clutched Abigail tighter.

“Are you coming to Italy with us?” Abigail asked, her excitement undimmed by the tears poured down her rosy, freckled cheeks. “Hannibal… he… he has a place for us.”

“I am, apparently.” Will replied. “Though I don’t speak any Italian. Guess it’s too late to work on that.”

“I do! At least well enough to get by, I hope. I can teach you some.” Abigail suddenly sat up, her exuberance bubbling over as she looked back to Hannibal. “He’s been teaching me for weeks.”

Will’s face cracked into a wide, soft smile. “I’d like that.”

“Will you teach me how to fish?” She asked eagerly.

At that request, Will’s eyes welled with the tears that he’d been stalwartly holding back since he’d first laid eyes on Abigail. “Of course, Abigail. Of course.” He replied, pulling her to him again. “I’d love nothing more in the world.”

When they drew apart again, Hannibal helped her to her feet. “Come, we will have a very early flight out in the morning, so we should all get some sleep. Will, are you ready to retire? There’s a guest room upstairs if you’d like me to show you. If the master suite doesn’t suit you.”

“You guys go on. I’m sure I’ll find it.” Will answered, after a couple of attempts to clear his throat. “I’m… I’m going to stay down here for a bit if it’s alright.”

“Are you sure?” Hannibal eyed him with an unreadable stare. 

“I promise, I’ll still be here when you get up. I just… need to think some more.”

“I understand.” Hannibal replied. “In the morning then.”

“See you in the morning.” Abigail chirped.

And Will watched as they turned away, and Hannibal slipped an arm around Abigail’s slim shoulders. The sight made an unexpected ache blossom in his chest for both of them. He’d missed them. Missed the fantasy of transparency between himself and Hannibal. The connection and understanding, however fleeting, that he’d had with Abigail. He’d thought the fantasy all but lost, and now those fantasies were inextricably and unexpectedly entwined. And he was surprised to find he was untroubled by the new complexities that faced him. Abigail’s smile as she'd gone to bed with Hannibal had told him everything would be alright.

***


	2. He Flew Into Her Snow White Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Thank you all so much for reading and for your comments and kudos! Hope you enjoy this next installment.

Will decided to retire to bed after watching the stars scroll across the hazy night sky for well over an hour. A heavy bank of clouds had begun to roll in from the west, and while Will wasn’t in possession of Hannibal’s acute nose, but he was pretty sure rain was on the way. 

Instead of going to the guest room, he found himself paused outside of Hannibal’s bedroom, his feet shifting under him with trepidation. He’d noticed as soon as he’d ascended the stairs that the door to Hannibal’s room was cracked by a generous few inches. Enough to be a clear invitation if he felt so bold. And he certainly felt bold enough to dare at least a look.

Hannibal and Abigail both lay in a soft tangle of limbs on the four-poster bed, with the plush comforter snugged up around them. He could see a second blanket, darker than the comforter and sheets tucked around Abigail’s slender shoulders. Will found himself envisioning Hannibal pulling it out of the cedar chest, the fabric smelling strongly of the fragrant wood, and lovingly wrapping it around Abigail as she drowsed. The sight of them curled serenely together clawed at Will’s heart. As he stood there in the the door listening to the sounds of their breathing, emotions began to bubble that he had trouble placing, and a confused and conflicted frown creased his features. He could name so many things he should be feeling right now.

Anger at the betrayal by both of them.

Jealousy of seeing Hannibal with someone else.

Sickening worry about Abigail and her future.

But he found he could feel none of those things flowering to any sort of fruition. They all died in the scalding sun of Will’s surprising but overwhelming desire to join the two of them in their cozy nest of blankets and pillows. It felt like it should be wrong. He hadn’t been explicitly invited to join their bed. Hannibal had said there was a place made for all of them, but what if this wasn’t what he meant?

But Will wanted it to mean that. He wanted that kiss in the dining room to mean he could finally have the physical closeness that he and Hannibal had delicately skirted all these years. Limned in lingering looks, and fleeting touches. Did Abigail’s presence really make a difference? Not if the way she’d clung to Will's shirt was any indication. And maybe he was getting ahead of himself anyway. 

All this wanting and second guessing was hard to bear. It all bled together just like everything else in Will’s mind, making it hard to extricate one desire from the next. But he could peel apart one thing at least. Right now, he just wanted to sleep. Wanted to fall down into the place that was made for him by Hannibal and just not think for awhile. And there was certainly room in that giant bed…

Before he could talk himself out of it, Will shucked his shirt, shoes, and pants, and gingerly lowered himself onto the bed. Hannibal roused, rolling towards him, his silvering hair falling into his eyes as the glow of the streetlamp outside suffused into the lines of his face. Will was just a shadow to him, silhouetted against the window, but Hannibal gave a sleepy smile that was nearly incandescent on its own. As Will slid between the crisp sheets, Hannibal rolled closer, pulling Abigail’s still sleeping form with him. She murmured in her sleep but came easily, her pale hand falling into the curls of Hannibal’s chest hair. 

Will burrowed down under Hannibal’s arm, shamelessly pulling his solid form so tight to him that one might be forgiven for thinking he sought to completely meld with the other man. He couldn’t look at him though, instead he buried his face against Hannibal’s shoulder and inhaled, pulling the familiar scent around his mind like a blanket.

Hannibal leaned down, letting a soft kiss ghost across Will’s temple as he encircled his waist with his arm. “It’s alright, Will.” he whispered with a tenderness Will hadn't known he had possessed. “Your family is here.”

“This is a strange definition of family.” Will rumbled, still not looking up.

“And it is not yet finished with a becoming all its own.” Hannibal said, a smile coloring his sleepy voice.

“What do you see?” Will asked. “What is your imago of this?”

Hannibal pouted his lips. “I fear you’ll find my fantasies very dull.”

“Certainly seems more exciting than what I pictured.”

“What did you picture, Will?” He asked. “What was your fantasy with Abigail?”

“Fishing.” he replied simply.

“Well, she tells me that she wants you to teach her to fish.”

Will smiled at that. He’d spent so many hours in the stream of his mind with her ghost. Memories of her ached then. Pulled on his aching heart like fish hooks. But now… He looked over at Abigail, sleeping with saint-like peace against Hannibal’s chest. His jaw fairly creaked as his face bent from smile to frown. “I don’t know… how to interface with this.” He said, the words coming with a halting awkwardness.

Hannibal smiled, stroking his hand along Will’s flank. “You make relationships sound so technical.” 

“Tab A into Slot B.” Will mused.

“This can be whatever we want it to be, Will.” he assured him.

“I think I can only cope with it being this right now.”

“Then that will be what it will be. Until otherwise moved.”

“Object at rest remains at rest”

“Precisely “

“Was it ever just this for the two of you? No expectations?”

“It was for many weeks.”

Will nodded, feeling something nameless uncoil and relax within him. “I constantly worry about not being what people expect. What’s the saying? Expectation is the mother of frustration?”

“Fishing lessons not withstanding, I think none of us are to the point of expecting anything from each other. I can speak for at least myself when I say that I only desire you as we’ve always had you.” Hannibal tightened his arm around Will, snugging him closer into his side and laying another soft kiss against his hair. “We will find our way. As circumstances have dictated, Abigail and I have already begun. But you will find your way with her in time. And you and I will as well. And we will all go together.”

Will nodded, still not looking up. He reached out, his hand finding Abigail’s where it rested on Hannibal’s chest. He curled his roughened thumb into the hollow of her palm and closed his eyes.

Abigail roused at the unfamiliar sensation. Hannibal’s hands were always smooth, and Will’s she discovered in that moment of wakefulness were clammy and rough. But when she opened her eyes, she smiled all the same, stifling the urge to move. Hannibal dropped a kiss into her hair just as he had with Will before they all drifted back into slumber together.

***


	3. And Search the Flowing Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Here's the next chapter!
> 
> Be warned it is NSFW towards the end.
> 
> Enjoy! And thank you all for the kudos, comments, and love on Tumblr. I'm littlethingwithfeathers btw if anyone wants to come say hi!

Will’s foreknowledge of Hannibal’s outlandish tastes did nothing to prepare him for the Tuscan villa that Hannibal had chosen for the three of them. It looked like something straight out of a postcard or travel magazine. Walls of blinding white stucco, set with elaborate arching windows. A vibrant garden in full and spectacular bloom spiraled out from a babbling fountain populated by koi fish filigreed by the blinding sun. It was tucked into some secluded hills, and all surrounded by high brick walls with a sturdy iron gate. Will chanced a look at Abigail. It was clearly her first time seeing this place as well. Her pink mouth was agape and her eyes, the same color as the cloudless sky, glittered with excitement.

“This is for us?” She had asked, her voice soft with wonder. She must be feeling like a princess about now, Will thought, unable to suppress a smile. She certainly deserved to feel like one.

“It is.” Hannibal replied with no small amount of pride. “Built in the 17th century, but recently remodeled of course. Four bedrooms, so there is plenty of space should we need it.” His tone made it clear that he doubted that would be the case.

“I can’t wait to see the kitchen.” Abigail squealed. “Knowing you, I bet it’s a work of art.”

“Oh, it is. It is. And Will, there is a very large garage that was built a few years ago. It could house four cars but I’ve had part of it converted into a workshop for you.”

Will blinked at that. “Thank you.” 

“And you will see out back, as promised there is a stream that borders the property. I'm not an expert in fishing conditions so you will have to judge for yourself, but all the same it reminded me of the one near your house back in Wolf Trap.”

Will nodded, unable to come up with a more appropriate response. He hoped idly that he didn’t come off as ungrateful. He certainly wasn’t that. He was just overwhelmed. Again. He was sensing a pattern emerging.

“This is wonderful Hannibal! Thank you!” Abigail clearly could express enough gratitude for both of them as she leapt up into his arms and kissed him before she could stop herself. “Sorry, Will.”

“No, no it’s okay.” He responded quickly, waving his hand. Their flight from the states had left little time for settling the details of their new… arrangement. “I’m glad you’re happy.” he told her honestly.

“Aren’t you?”

“Yes!” He assured her quickly, pulling her into a fond embrace. “Yes, I am I just… I just move a little slower than you, Abigail. I… never pictured myself living in a place like this.”

“God… me neither.” She had dropped her hand to curl around Hannibal’s. He was positively beaming down at both of them as they strolled up to the front door, which he opened for them with a flourish. 

“Welcome home.” He had said, his black eyes sparkling in the Tuscan sun.

***

The first few days in the villa felt completely surreal to Will. Though not dreamlike. Dreams had a hazy, insubstantial quality. This was as if he were wandering through a movie set. He actually kept expecting to see cameras, or to forget his lines or… just something to snap him back into the reality he knew. It all just seemed a little too varnished and perfect. But then again, he kept reminding himself that this paradise was Hannibal’s doing. The perfectly put-together nature of every little detail should have come as no surprise.

The only surprise Will found was when he finally got the courage to venture out to the garage and take a look at the workspace Hannibal had mentioned when they first arrived. He had expected the garage to have some clean, sparse work tables. Empty drawers and pegboards. Maybe a few basic tools. But no. Every space was occupied by gleaming tools and organized materials. A whole table had been dedicated to what was no doubt a very expensive fly-tying set up, complete with a host of raw materials.

Will let his mind wander, seeing Hannibal searching every crevice of the internet for all these implements. And wandering the grounds of the villa looking for bits of feather and twigs… all with the thought of Will's own happiness rolling around in his mind.

Will stood in the middle of it, gaping like a landed fish when he saw a shadow fall across the doorway. Hannibal stepped through a moment later, smiling softly at Will’s unbridled awe and excitement. He tried twice to speak his gratitude, but gave up and simply crossed to Hannibal, grabbed him by the lapels of his linen suit, and kissed him hard.

They stayed like that for a breathless moment with Hannibal pinned against the doorframe by Will’s weight. Will could feel something inside him starting to uncoil and unwind. Some nameless knot of tension that didn't believe anything he'd seen since Abigail first appeared in Hannibal's dining room. He kissed him again, just to make sure. Just to be certain that the smell and touch and taste of all that had transpired wasn't just smoke twisting in a draft.

“Are you going to teach Abigail to make flies or to fish first?” Hannibal asked, his fingers winding into the curls at the nape of Will’s neck.

“I’ll teach her to fish first.” Will replied, leaning his head against Hannibal’s chest. Almost arching into the touch.

“There are waders for both of you in the work closet through the door behind you.”

“Did you get yourself a pair?” He asked looking up.

Hannibal chuckled. “No, I’m afraid I’m not much of a fisherman. But I might tag along sometime, if only to enjoy the view.” He tucked an errant curl behind Will’s ear before bending to kiss him again.

***

Will tied flies for two days before he had some that he was satisfied enough with to use for teaching Abigail. She had clearly been waiting on pins and needles for the invitation because she fairly skipped down to the pond edge despite her clumsy waders. They had invited Hannibal to join them, but he had politely declined, making some excuse about complicated preparatoins for dinner. Will saw straight through it though. An approving smile and a polite but firm swerve said all that need be said. Hannibal merely wanted Will and Abigail to have time together. They had barely spent any time alone together since their arrival in Tuscany. Abigail had always been trailing in Hannibal’s shadow, and while there was not a shred of coldness or disdain in her intention, she had given Will a wide berth up to now. Waiting. Ever the patient huntress.

Knowing how patient she was, despite her age, Will relished the chance to show Abigail all the tricks of fly fishing. The trick with his wrist. The pressure of his hands. How to watch where you’re casting, not just the rod itself.

“I… I never thought I would get to do this.” Will heard himself say when she finally got a cast to fly straight.

“You wanted to?” She asked, watching the fly sail out over the rippling water to land with a satisfying plop.

“I thought about it all the time when I was incarcerated.”

“When you thought I was dead.”

He nodded miserably, not looking at her, but rather watching off where the fly zipped its way through the water.

“I’m sorry.” She said, looking up at him. “I know I can’t just fix it with an apology. But…”

“I… know. It’s… it’ll be okay.” Will assured her with a hand on her shoulder. “Truth be told, I’m not entirely convinced I’m not just going to wake up back at BCHSI.”

“Me too.” She replied, her voice barely audible over the murmur of the water. “I mean… you know.”

“I know you did what you had to do. We were all different people back then. Especially me.”

“I… I didn’t feel different at first.” she said with a soft frown. “But I know I’m different now.”

“I can certainly tell a difference.”

“You can?” She asked doubtfully.

“Oh yeah. You’ve always been wary and smart, but… you’re more trusting now. You certainly trust Hannibal.”

She nodded, a smile flickering across her rosy lips. “I trust you too.” she said, before turning her gaze resolutely downstream. “Hannibal keeps saying you’re going to join us again. Like you did that first night.”

Will felt his throat tighten. “Do you want that?” he asked, eyes flickering to her face.

“Yes.” she said, much more stoutly than Will had expected her to answer. “I want us to be a family.”

“We can be a family in more ways than that, Abigail.”

“I know… but I think I’d like that. I wasn’t sure at first, but I think I am now.”

Will nodded mutely as he mulled over her words. “I… can’t make any promises.” he finally said after a lengthy silence. “Not until… I can have a clear picture of what I want.”

She nodded at that and said nothing more until an errant cast sent a fly winding around a tree. “What did I do?” she asked, her lovely face scrunched into a frown.

“Too much with the wrist. And you might've released the line too soon.” Will smiled as he said it, feeling his bones slowly molding themselves to the idea of wearing a smile more often. “Here, let me go untangle it and we'll try again.”

***

Will did not retire to his room until very late. Hannibal and Abigail had gone up hours before, but he stayed behind as always. He wandered the grounds in the last shreds of twilight, scavenging for feathers, pebbles, bits of twig and bone. Abigail had caught on to fly fishing with startling ease. She would be ready to start tying her own flies in no time, so he needed to stock up. 

When the daylight faded to the point that his searching proved more frustrating than profitable, Will returned to the house. He walked through the cavernous spaces of their home, darkened from their usual splendor. The gauzy curtains drifted in the breezes of the evening. The shadows softened and stretched across the stone floor. The size of their home had always stunned Will, but even more surprising was how it never felt too big as long as Hannibal and Abigail were around to fill the space.

And Will found his interior landscape had begun to mimic it. He found solitude a burden rather than a blessing. And that he would rather work with one of them nearby, if not both of them. It was an alien sensation to him, but not an unwelcome one.

When he was finally exhausted from his wandering, Will climbed the stairs towards the bedrooms. Before he reached the door to his own room, he heard a soft, but completely unmistakable sound.

A high, breathy moan, peeled expertly from the back of Abigail’s throat.

Will froze in his tracks, his pulse suddenly thudding in his ears. He had to put one hand on the wall to keep his balance at the top of the stairs. He stared unblinkingly ahead at the closed bedroom door as another thin, ecstatic sound slipped through the hinges.

Will knew they were sleeping together. Hannibal and Abigail. And that it had been going on for many months. Hannibal had filled him in over dinner preparations one day while Abigail dutifully practiced piano in the front parlor. But knowing and actually witnessing were two different things. For one thing, when Hannibal had calmly and dispassionately explained the nature of his relationship with Abigail, Will had listened intently with only a little confusion and worry that had eventually settled into calm acceptance. But the sounds of Abigail taking her pleasure at Hannibal’s hands or… whatever. It sent a bolt of fevered electricity straight into Will’s gut. And embarrassingly a little lower than that.

Will flattened himself against the wall, feeling the blood pooling in his cock as he cinched his eyes shut. Now adding to the litany of sweet, breathy sounds coming from Abigail was Hannibal’s rough voice groaning her name. Suddenly, Will could see them vividly. Both of them. His mind rattled through dozens of positions and possibilities as if he were thumbing a deck of cards. 

The moaning and whispering gave way to heavy pants and then Abigail let out a long, whispery cry, no doubt arching towards Hannibal. And then the sounds subsided. Will stood in the hallway, a sheen of sweat glistening across his forehead as he pressed his palm against his straining erection. 

And just when he was about to bolt for his room, he heard Abigail’s voice clear as day in the darkness.

“Do… do you think Will is ever going to join us?

Will could almost feel Hannibal smiling around his reply. “I think so.”

“I’m worried he won’t.” Abigail said softly. “I’m worried he still thinks I'm a little girl. And that he thinks we're both monsters."

Will felt his heart crack at those words. He almost burst through the door, hard-on be damned, to take Abigail in his arms and pet her hair and reassure her that none of those things were true.  
But Hannibal eloquently beat him to it. "I assure you Abigail, that he doesn't think any of those things. Will is a wary soul, but one thing to always remember is that he is most wary of himself. But he wants us close, Abigail. And I see the way he looks at you with yearning in his eyes. Reach out to him, when the mood strikes you. I think you'll find your patience has rewards.

"Mmm." she hummed, and the sheets rustled. "Do you still think it will ever be all three of us."

"I have no doubts." Will could once again hear the smile in Hannibal's voice.

Will heard nothing more after that declaration. And it rang in his head like a hammer strike on an anvil. He quickly tiptoed to his room across the hall, and shed his clothes down to his undershirt and boxers.

His cock was still achingly hard, stretching the cotton material as he lay back across the bed. It jumped and throbbed, even as his face flushed from embarrassment. Will couldn't ignore it if he hoped to get any sleep at all. But, he discovered at long last, he'd lost all desire to.

He took himself in hand, giving his cock a hard, languorous squeeze before backing off the sensation. He stroked his length with gentle, almost curious fingers. How he imagined Abigail might pleasure him. She would watch his reactions with those keen blue eyes. And learn how to tease. Her patience would be his greatest frustration and pleasure, if she was so inclined to share it with him.

And she was, he reminded himself. Abigail wanted him in that bed. In that bed where Hannibal had no doubt laid her out magnificently and made love to her. He'd probably drawn it out for hours, while Will wandered far afield. Hannibal would draw it out for Will, too no doubt. He was an expert at these things after all.

Will gritted his teeth, fighting not to make a sound that might be overheard, even as his breathing turned labored. He wasn't ready for that yet. Not tonight. The shock and the need were too raw for anyone's hands but his own.

And so he thrust into his own fist, precum smearing and slicking his grip as he rutted. He wanted to drag it out. To tease himself the way he knew the two of them would. But he was seized by the thought that he wanted to save that for them. He wanted to give them that desperation, that want, that pent up agony that he had been keeping and cultivating and aging like wine for months and months. He wanted to offer it like a sacrifice to the gods he had been chasing for so long. Gods of belonging, and family, and forgiveness.

He came in hot, thick spurts over his fist to images of Abigail writhing under him, and of Hannibal's face, contorted in pleasure as they all finally found their place together. It would happen, Will told himself as he wiped the stickiness off on yesterday's t-shirt and collapsed back against the mattress. 

It would happen.

***


	4. Are You My Love or No?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, and for leaving your kind words and kudos! Seeing those notifications from AO3 in my email gives me life.
> 
> This chapter is very NSFW and features Will/Abigail.
> 
> While this fic is finished, I'm still doing some editing on the final chapters. They should be out by the end of the month, but my participation in the latest Hannibal-Cre-ate-ive event is slowing my progress somewhat. But like I said... it is finished. The editing just may take a bit longer.
> 
> Thank you all again for reading! Enjoy!

Will slept like the dead until an errant beam of sunlight wormed its way through the blinds to fall across his face. He roused, half blind in the glare, to the smell of coffee. And of sizzling butter and oranges. He gave a long, cavernous yawn to clear his ears, and then the smells were joined by the soft sounds of a whisk raking over a pan. Hannibal must be up making breakfast. Will dressed, kicking his soiled shirt into the growing laundry pile, and padded downstairs towards the delicious smells wafting through the villa. 

He smiled at what he saw in the kitchen. Hannibal, his body angled slightly away from him, dressed in soft sleep pants and a thin black t-shirt, cut so finely around his shoulders Will wondered if it wasn't custom made. And over it all was a white apron tied neatly in the back. The sweetly domestic sight warmed Will's heart more than even the morning sun. 

It reminded Will of the time he'd first seen Hannibal in the kitchen on a dozy morning, when he'd turned up on his doorstep complaining of insomnia and sleepwalking. Hannibal had welcomed him in, and insisted that coffee was required to discuss the matter further. He'd been soft and domestic then, all bundled up in his robe against the cool fall weather, though Will had been to addled to appreciate it. No wonder no one ever gave him a second thought as a possible identity for the Ripper.

Will rapped his knuckles on the door jamb and Hannibal turned, his ashen hair falling across his inky black eyes. He smiled in return, fine wrinkles creasing into his tanned skin.

"Good morning." he greeted cheerily.

"Mornin'." Will said, still not moving from the doorway. Still taking in the scene. Still, even after all these weeks, willing himself to believe this was his new reality. He hadn't woken up in BSHCI. Or in his drafty house in Wolftrap. After all the blood and death and betrayals, somehow the world saw fit to give them this paradise of sunshine, and open air, and late breakfast.

Hannibal's smile deepened as they stared at each other across the kitchen, the late morning sun bathing the whole scene in golden light. "The coffee is ready. I would pour you a cup, but I am working at present to keep the frittata from burning."

Will inclined his head, and peeled himself away from the doorframe to avail himself of the coffeepot. It wasn't one of those elaborate machines like Hannibal had in Baltimore, which had looked more like a product of mad science rather than the culinary arts. This was a simple French press, which suited Will just fine. While he poured them both a mug, Hannibal expertly slipped the perfectly formed frittata off the skillet and onto its platter. 

As he sprinkled the still steaming surface with chives, Will set his mug on the counter beside him. And on a whim, he laid a soft kiss on the nape of Hannibal's neck. The exposed skin was warm under his lips, and Will swore he felt Hannibal's knees give just a little at the touch.

Hannibal turned, a smile hovering on his lips as he slipped his hands around Will's waist. Will's free hand found a resting place on Hannibal's chest and they rocked for a moment. Even though they rarely touched since coming to Italy, something about the close confines of this position spelled freedom to Will. Freedom and safety.

Hannibal bent and kissed him, a lingering brush of his lips that Will chased and turned into a long, exploring tangle of tongues. Hannibal smelled wonderful… like lemon and cedar, and Will savored the lingering taste of the cooking ingredients from where Hannibal must have sampled them earlier. 

Will felt the unanswered want from the previous night thrill through him. And he knew the time was perhaps right at last. That he was finally ready… but first…

"Good morning to both of you, too." a perky voice chirped from behind them.

Hannibal broke off with a low chuckle that Will felt more than heard. He felt his face flush at being caught, though much to his relief, no actual shame blossomed in its wake. He actually made himself turn and look at Abigail, finding her leaning against the doorway in a robe, hair wet from the shower, and a smirk that married pride and amusement bending her lips. And it made her look somehow older. And wiser.

"Good morning, Abigail. You're just in time." Hannibal greeted, still keeping Will close with one arm draped around the small of his back.

"I can see that." she replied easing away from the door.

Hannibal actually laughed that time. "Come. Get your coffee while I cut the frittata. We'll want it while it's warm."

The three of them sat at the breakfast bar much as they always did each morning. Between mouthfuls of breakfast and steaming coffee, they talked about all the things they shared. Music, fishing, literature, art, history… even forensics, which was still of particular fascination to Abigail. It was a picture of a typical morning in the villa, but something changed. It was as if the sunlight warmed and even charged the very air around them. The space, cut with lingering glances and knowing smiles, seemed incandescent.

When they were finished, Abigail dutifully rose and cleared the plates away, first taking Hannibal's with a soft peck on the lips, and then Will's. She paused as she did so, suddenly uncertain despite the familiarity of everything around her. And then she swiftly bent and caught Will's lips with hers in the briefest kiss. When she pulled back she looked surprised at herself, but Will's smile melted every shred of doubt she harbored.

"I am going to venture into town." Hannibal announced as Abigail set the dishes to soak alongside the frying pan. "That was the last of the eggs and the coffee as well. Should I get anything else while I'm out?"

"Lemons?" Will asked. "Or capers? Something to go with whatever I'll pull out of the stream today."

"Going fishing?" Abigail asked.

"I think so. Want to join me?"

"Sure!"

Hannibal fairly beamed, his smile brighter than the late morning sun. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." he said before heading upstairs to change.

Abigail finished cleaning up, and as she went to refill her coffee mug, Will caught her by the arm and reeled her in for another kiss. She came easily, falling against Will's chest as if she were always meant to be there. Her mouth was sweet and pliant under his as her fingers explored along the stubble of his jawline.

They swayed together like that for a long time, the sun warming them as they inquisitively learned the contours of one another's bodies. Will had expected Abigail to be tentative. To be careful and sweet and girlish in her attentions, but he found her to be anything but. Her hands explored him boldly and freely, wasting no time in lifting the hem of his shirt to caress his torso. 

Will forced himself to break the kiss, staring down into her soft blue eyes with wonder and a little apprehension. She smiled up at him, her nose wrinkling. "What?" she asked, her voice colored with laughter.

"I…" Will floundered a moment. He had intended to ask what she wanted. If this was what she wanted. All the things he knew he should be asking in this situation. But it seemed stupid and patronizing in light of everything. She had kissed him first after all. And she'd quite clearly stated what she wanted from him the night before, though she didn't know he'd overheard. And she still deserved the dignity of not having assumptions made. "You kissed me first." he settled for saying, his mouth quirking in a smile.

"I did." she said, her nose wrinkling further with equal part mischief and mirth. And no small amount of self-satisfaction. "Clearly you didn't mind."

"You have something in mind besides kissing?" Will asked, lacing his fingers across the small of her back.

"Mmm…" she hummed as she rocked in his arms. "Possibly. If you're amenable which…" she swiveled her hips, rubbing herself along the line of his hardening cock. "I'm guessing you are."

"Abigail…" her name came out of his mouth with an unintended note of warning.

She gently but firmly took Will's face between her hands. "I want this." she said. "If that's what you need to hear. I know that you know it. But you need to hear it. I want you." Here she kissed him again, with fever and passion, licking into his mouth hungrily, before breaking off breathlessly. "I want us. You, me, and Hannibal. I want us to be together like this."

Will nodded, tightening his grip on her but fighting the urge to rut against the softness of her body. "I want both of you too. But right now I just want this. Just us."

She smiled again, an expression of pure and beguiling vice. "You want me?"

He mirrored her, letting his desire blossom at last in the radiance and eagerness in her eyes. "Let me take you to bed." he whispered, nosing gently along her throat.

"Or just to the couch. I don't think I've the patience to climb all those stairs." She pulled at the drawstring on his sleep pants and dragged him along to the living room.

Will followed her with a soft laugh, letting her guide him and push him down onto the sofa cushions. As he reclined, she tugged at the knot on her bathrobe. It fell away to reveal that she was, as he had suspected, completely naked underneath. He sucked in a breath, feeling his cock throbbing as he stared, mouth open and his tongue working feverishly over his lips. She had planned this before she even came downstairs. And she'd sat there all through breakfast waiting patiently for her opportunity. 

She knew what she was doing, he realized, as he watched her hands skate down her soft curves. She'd planned this. Had practice at this. Knew exactly how to draw his gaze and send his senses reeling. His breath came in quick, abortive pants as he tentatively reached for her. Will's mind irresistibly rattled through scenario after scenario where she had seduced Hannibal. And now here she was seducing him. 

Abigail must have sensed his shock and apprehension. As he reached for her, she took his hands and guided them, as she lowered herself astride his hips. The soft heat of her inner thighs hovered over the swelling bulge in his sleep pants. Will's hands trembled on her skin. She was so warm and soft, and her ivory skin fairly glowed in the brilliant sun.

As he slid his palms up to cup her breasts, he whispered. "You're beautiful, Abigail."

She only sighed and smiled as she leaned into the touch. Will took it as invitation to take one of her nipples into his mouth, making her gasp. He kissed his way all over her chest and breasts, as if he could use his tongue and ravening mouth to map every inch of her skin. She moaned and arched against him in response to every caress, egging him on more and more.

One of his hands slid lower, smoothing over her ass and along the crease of her hip to find her pussy. He pulled back a moment to watch her face, and was rewarded with her eyes closing as she pushed down against his fingers with her lip caught between her teeth.

"Can… can I bring you like this?" he asked, his voice rough with want. 

She nodded, her brow pinched as a thin, reedy sound escaped her throat. She was pushing herself insistently down onto his fingers and he obliged her immediately, letting one digit sink into the heat of her body. She was so warm, and wetter than he had been expecting. 

"Was this your plan all morning?" Will asked, his lips twisting in a roguish grin.

"It was Hannibal's idea." she answered, her hips giving a little twist as she continued to push back onto his fingers. "I've been wanting you to join us for ages. Ever since we got here." She was starting to pant between every few words now that his thumb had found her clit. "He said I should stop waiting."

"I'm glad you stopped waiting." Will replied, matching the movement of his hand to the pumping of her hips. "Like this?" he asked, curling his fingers slightly each time he drew them out.

She nodded, her lower lip turning white between her teeth. A long, high pitched whine worked its way up her throat as she thrust. Will was transfixed as he watched. Her breasts, flushed and rosy bounced invitingly with every motion. Her face pinched with the most exquisite frown as she worked herself on his hand.

It didn't take her long to come, though that was hardly a surprise. She was doing most of the work from that angle. When her pleasure peaked, her back drew up in a beautiful arch and she gasped Will's name. As the last waves of ecstasy flowed out of her body, her arms threatened to give way and she half collapsed against Will's chest.

"You're wearing too many clothes." She muttered, rubbing her face against his t-shirt like a cat. 

"You're the one that didn't take them off of me." Will retorted playfully, still idly dragging his fingers over the slick, swollen flesh between her legs.

"Got distracted." She said, looking up at him her eyes half-lidded in hazy pleasure. "Can you blame me?"

Will only smiled in answer, leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips.

"I want to suck your cock." she whispered as she started to lever herself upright again. "Can I?"

"If that's what you want." Will answered, trying very hard not to sound over eager.

Abigail must have seen right through the charade. She leaned up on her elbows, her lips barely brushing the shell of his ear and she whispered. "I would very much like to suck your cock." she told him as her hand found the bulge in his sleep pants. She stroked it lightly with the back of her knuckles as she teased. "I want to lick you. And suck you. And swallow you down until I have to choose between air and more of you."

Will's hands involuntarily convulsed and kneaded the flesh of her ass as she spoke. He could vividly see the image playing out already in his mind's eye. And she knew it too. That was the devil of it, and it almost made him laugh. She knew how vivid his imagination was and she was not afraid to use it to her full advantage. And so, the most coherent response he could summon was just to nod.

Abigail picked the knot on his pants and pulled them down to expose Will's rock hard length to the air. She hummed in approval before leaning down to lick up the shaft in one long languorous stroke. Will half bowed up off the couch in response, the air of his next breath hissing between his clenched teeth.

"Maybe you should just have me like this." she mused idly as she continued to caress him with the flat of her tongue. "Me naked, at your mercy. You, fully clothed and on top of me, thrusting to your heart's content."

Will almost laughed in spite of himself. "What has Hannibal been doing with you?"

"Mmm…" she hummed playfully, letting the vibration pass from her lips to the underside of Will's cock. "Lots of things. Sometimes it's very sweet. Side by side and full of soft touches and words." she let her licking turn to kisses, all feather light and infuriating. "Sometimes, I'm on top. Can you imagine? I get to ride the Chesapeake Ripper like the best pony in the stable. And other times, well… let's say he's bigger than me and doesn't let me have much say in the matter."

And with that admission, Abigail sucked down his length until Will could feel the head of his cock sliding over the slickness at the back of her throat. He groaned and barely kept himself from thrusting as she swallowed around his length. And he could feel her setting up the rhythm that let her have just enough air to still be comfortable. She knew just how far to push herself...

Will abandoned himself to Abigail's design, letting his callused hands sink into her hair as she worked his cock. Her mouth was wickedly hot and slick, and her hands were just as clever. One stroked in time with her mouth and the other gently cradled and massaged his balls. Not a single shred of apprehension or misgiving. She wanted this. She wanted the taste of his body on her tongue.

"Abigail… Abigail…" he gasped, half mournful and half desperate. "Please I… I want to fuck you and you're going to make me come if you keep doing that."

She pulled off with an obscene, wet noise and delicately wiped the corner of her mouth with a knuckle. Her smirk alone threatened to undo him.

"Let me… let me fuck you." Will whispered, his voice dry like rustling leaves. "Please. However you want it."

"Feeling generous are we?" she crooned as she worked her way back up his body on a trail of kisses. "I want to be on top." she said, throwing one leg over his hips and rubbing his aching length against the soft, dripping folds of her pussy. 

"Whatever you want." Will said, closing his eyes and sinking back against the couch.

Abigail's face suddenly sobered, her wicked grin vanishing in the blink of an eye. She gave his cock a gentle, loose stroke before lining him up and sinking down. Will couldn't resist thrusting up to meet her halfway.

"Oh." she gasped, barely more than the shape of the word escaping as she settled. "Oh Will…" She braced her hands on his chest and began to let her hips find a serpentine sway. 

Will watched with openmouthed awe as she worked herself on him. She knew every trick, every hidden sweet spot in her own body. Will burned with the desire to find all those places for himself. To learn how to make her arch and moan and writhe from his touch alone, unerring and expert. God, he wanted...

"You're thinking." Abigail tutted, between pants.

"Can't ever seem to stop." Will replied, his hands working their way up to caress her breasts again. She arched into the touch. Into his hands. Into the place where she felt safe. Her rhythm sped, and her breathing shallowed, and she was coming again with a long, plaintive cry. She looked almost beatific in the moment, reaching peace and wholeness at last. 

She caught Will staring up at her, barely moving and barely breathing as he watched her come down. "I'm real Will." She told him sagely. As if the moment of divine ecstasy had given her equally divine insight. She leaned down, her lips hovering right over his. "Take what it is you're wanting."

Will didn't hesitate, as if she were about to be snatched away from him. He wound his arms around her and thrust up into the ravening heat of her body. His mouth found one of her nipples, and he fastened his teeth to it, making her moan his name but not pull away. She pressed into him, nails digging in, as if daring someone to try to take him from her.

Will bared his teeth as he came, but made no sound. He went stiff and then completely limp as wave after wave of pleasure cascaded through his body. Abigail, wearing a very satisfied smile, let him pull her down on top of him as his softening cock slipped from her body.

"We should shower." she murmured sleepily, as she propped her chin on his chest.

Will hummed his assent. "Can I just… have you like this for a minute?"

She smiled. "As long as you like. I just meant before we went fishing."

Will snorted a soft laugh. "I'm not going anywhere after that."

Abigail nestled herself closer. "Lazy bones."

"I just want to hold you like this is all. I'm… I'm still trying to convince myself this is all real." Will admitted.

He felt Abigail nod though she didn't look up. "You don't have to doubt it." she said softly. "I see it every time you look at either Hannibal or me. It's like you don't think you deserve us. Like we'll vanish."

"I am afraid," he admitted, winding a lock of her dark hair around one finger. "I'm afraid that I don't deserve this. I… I very nearly pulled Jack Crawford down on all our heads. Nevermind that I indulged his theories about you. Even before Hannibal told me about Nick Boyle."

"And I almost turned Hannibal in, along with myself." Abigail retorted gently. "And I actually got you put in jail for months. Let you think I was dead. I'll never forgive myself for it."

"But I forgave you." 

"And I you." she said, looking up at him with her piercing blue eyes. "And we both forgave Hannibal. And I'm pretty sure he's forgiven us."

Will nodded, not looking at her.

Abigail caressed his cheek, drawing his eyes to hers. "Forgiveness is not something you have to keep earning, Will. It's not forgiveness if it is."

He blinked hard at the wisdom of that. "You're right." he said, snugging his arms tighter around Abigail. "You are absolutely right."

***

Hannibal returned some hours later. Rather than head straight for the house, he wandered around back to see if he might spy Will and Abigail catching fish or relaxing in the early afternoon sunshine. But he found the creek completely deserted, and no sign of them anywhere. The workshop was still locked up tight. Hannibal wandered back, letting himself in through the large glass doors that lead out into the small garden, and there he found them.

Will lay stretched out on the couch, with one arm thrown up to pillow his head. His face was slack with the sleep of the truly contented. And Abigail, her robe tossed over a chair nearby, lay upon Will's chest, sleeping like a lamb. They'd clumsily attempted to pull the blanket over both of them but had only succeeded in retrieving one corner before sleep got the better of them.

Hannibal froze for a moment, holding himself at a distance. There in the shifting shadows of afternoon, contentedly wrapped up in each other was his whole world. His Will and his Abigail. Curled up together at last.

He frowned even as the affection for both of them blossomed in his heart. They had all tasted murder together, one way or another. Hobbs. Boyle. Tier. And that insufferable miscreant from the market. The one that kept hounding Abigail. They all knew blood, suffering, and violence. And yet against all reason, when they fell together, there seemed to be only tenderness and softness between them.

They were all still learning to navigate that. He and Will would be last it seemed.

Hannibal took this new lesson to heart, pulling the blanket more securely around Will and Abigail, before heading to the kitchen to start on their dinner. If that was as far as the two of them made it after breakfast, they would both be starving when they woke up. And that also meant it would be up to Hannibal to summon dinner, since clearly they never made it to the stream.

And while he didn't want to make a huge production out of it, to Hannibal this was certainly an event worth celebrating.

***


	5. Heard Her Sigh and Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings all! Apologies for the late chapter. This has had to fall in with a number of other projects, both fanfiction and real life. The scandal!
> 
> Please note that this chapter is also very NSFW and features threesome funtime.
> 
> Thank you all for your kind words and your kudos. They give me life!
> 
> Enjoy!

That night after a very elaborate meal, the three of them went walking afield. They crossed the stream to amble amid the small copse of olive trees on the border of the property. They lingered together, in the shadows of evening, enjoying their new but as yet unspoken closeness.

"I want to get a dog." Will announced, much to Abigail's squealing delight.

"I wondered how long that would take you." Hannibal replied with huff of laughter. "Very well. I'll look into some breeders local to the area."

"No, not breeders." Will scoffed. "A mutt. A stray."

"You want to build another family of strays?" Hannibal asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what we already are?" Abigail replied, looking up at him from where she hung on his arm. She'd started off holding hands with Will, but he kept wandering off to fill his pockets with bits of twigs and feathers for making fishing flies, so she had given up for the time being. "We've all strayed in one way or another from where we began." 

Hannibal considered her words but didn't reply. Will was silent too. His only answer was the shuffling of his booted feet in the grass.

"I mean it doesn't go to wonder." she went on, one shoulder lifting in a shrug. "A family of strays seems to work best. Will managed it before. And it's more of a family than either of us have ever had."

Hannibal snugged an arm around her and she reached for Will in turn drawing them all together as the wandered amidst the whispering trees. Back in Baltimore the trees were all bare, but here spring was already galloping apace. Just as they were...

They hadn't spoken of what had transpired that afternoon, but it saturated the air around them as surely as the fragrance of spring permeated the evening breeze. All three of them could sense it, and it gave each of them their own little thrill of both excitement and uncertainty. But they were gratified to find that, despite their usual predilections towards withdrawing from unpredictable situations, it made them cling to one another all the more tightly.

"A dog it is." Hannibal said finally, eyeing Will over the top of Abigail's head. "Please see to it the creature is trained to stay off the bed."

Will shot him a bashful smile, fueled by all the implications of that statement. "I make no promises."

Abigail couldn't repress a pleased giggle.

The three of them traded kisses and ideas for dog names all the way back to the house, chaining their steps together with lingering touches, fond laughter, and secret glances in the dark. They all headed upstairs, but Will paused at the doorway to his bedroom.

What had previously been his bedroom? He looked inside, a jaundiced shaft of moonlight falling across the rumpled bedclothes. It looked so cold and small…

"Will?"Abigail's voice pierced his thoughts.

Will shook himself from the mental miasma. "Yes?"

"Are you coming?" She asked, her blue eyes catching light from somewhere and twinkling faintly.

Will's gaze slid past her to where Hannibal stood, seemingly suspended in the doorway. Moonlight fountained in through the picture window, perfectly silhouetting him. Anticipation and want roiled in his eyes, even has he kept his gaze to the floor. The whole scene was literally a work of art. He was perfectly framed and illuminated like one of those deeply human portraits… the ones that caught their subject at a crossroads. A moment of indecision. A moment of heartbreak. 

Abigail reached out her hand to Will, and Will didn't hesitate again. "Come on." she encouraged as she laced their fingers together. Her skin was so soft and warm. Will felt a little thrill shimmer through him, remembering how her fingers felt on other parts of his body. She tugged on his hand and he let the momentum carry him like a wave. 

And as he passed through the doorway, one hand found its way to Hannibal's waist and pulled him along in their wake with a surprised grunt.

Once across the threshold they all paused, and Will stared at their enormous plush bed as if he were peeking over the edge of the diving board.

"Is this what you want?" Will asked Hannibal, not looking at him, but clinging mightily to Abigail.

"I… I didn't want to overwhelm you." he answered softly, still not quite looking at either of them.

"It's what you've always done." he replied with a rueful smile.

Hannibal pouted his lips in thought. "I've begun to think it unwise."

"It's never run me away from you before." Will pointed out.

Hannibal nodded and sighed, his hands having become uncharacteristically fidgety as they had been on the night they dined on sacrificial lamb and talked of imagos and ideals.

Behind them, Abigail let out a huff. "You two geese sort it out. I'm going to go run through the shower." She pecked them both on the cheek before sequestering herself in the bathroom.

The two men watched her go, their gazes trailing after her before their eyes met again.

"I've never seen you so gunshy, Hannibal." Will said finally.

Hannibal lifted his shoulder in a small shrug before sinking down on the bed to toe off his shoes. "Before you and before Abigail, never in my adult life had I ever formed any sort of… attachments." he said softly. "I cultivated relationships, and watched as they grew, flowered, and then faded in their own seasons. Always interesting and unique. But they were always apart from myself."

"Curiosities." Will supplied, stalking a step closer with his hands in his pockets. "Did I start out that way?"

Hannibal fervently shook his head. "It never even crossed my mind. That's how I knew you were different."

"How you knew you were in trouble." Will said with a small laugh hiding in his voice. "What about Abigail? Is she different too? Or are you gardening with her."

Hannibal's eyes found the door to the bathroom. They could both hear the water in the shower pounding and echoing off the tile walls. "Yes and no." he said, clearly measuring his words. "She was still very much a girl when we met her. And it was as if her father had suspended her there purposefully. Like a butterfly in amber."

"I'm sure he did." Will opined. "Maybe not for us."

"Hers is a purposed uniqueness. The work of a craftsman. And so while my curiosity fed my involvement in her life, and I soon found her budding desires mimicked my own."

"In regards to what?"

"In regards to family. In regards to you."

"You mean… she's been interested in me? For… how long?" Will asked frowning in confusion.

"That is a rather narrow view of her ideas." Hannibal said with an incline of his head. "I rather think she wants us both. The family. The caregivers. And as she is blossoming into her own place in the adult world, the lovers that she has always craved. She and I have mirrored desires in that ideal."

"Is that what you were trying to talk me into over that sacrificial lamb?" Will asked.

Hannibal's inky black gaze flicked up to his face, barely able to look Will full in the eyes before dropping back down to the carpet. "It was."

Then, in the hallowed dark of their bedroom, with Hannibal raw and contrite before him, Will saw in a sharp moment of clarity, an alternate future for them. Where the lies about Freddie and Jack had spun out into strangling webs that ensnared them all into a deadly trap. Where the ideal of family, and of trust, and of this whole mad fantasy of a life in Tuscan paradise was bled, butchered, and burned on the altar of Will's feeble and wretched excuses for ethics and ideals that added up to little more than useless indecision. He could practically taste the blood in his mouth. Blood that was not only his...

And on the vision's heels came Abigail's voice bubbling up from his memories, drenched in sunlight.

"Forgiveness is not something you have to keep earning, Will. It's not forgiveness if it is."

Will took a step forward and then dropped onto the bed beside Hannibal. "Kiss me again." he told him, reaching out to clutch at Hannibal's collar, feeling Hannibal's fingers wind into his curls almost as if on autopilot. "Like you did over dinner. Before you told me Abigail was still alive. Before I knew about Italy. Before I knew anything but the fact that I wanted you… I wanted you more than anything."

Hannibal's lip quivered and his hand tightened its grip against Will's scalp, and he drew him up to his mouth. Hannibal kissed Will at first as one might kiss the feet of an idol or the ring of a monarch. Lightly. Reverently. And fearfully. And Will trembled both at his ardor and his brevity. But the next press of lips marked a series that branded a slow lazy circle around Will's mouth that ended with Will growing impatient and sucking Hannibal's lower lip into his mouth.

They both moaned, letting their lips fall open as they began to explore one another's mouths with teeth and tongues and tiny sounds dredged from the depths of their beings.

"Oh good." Abigail chirped from the bathroom door, wearing her plush bathrobe again. In their impassioned lip-locked frenzy, neither Hannibal nor Will noticed that she'd emerged. "I was worried I would have to handcuff the two of you together."

Hannibal laughed, not bothering to disentangle himself from Will. "No need for such measures." he replied.

"This time anyway." she said with a roguish grin. "Do you two want to keep sorting things out? I can always take Will's room."

Will just shook his head, stretching out his hand to her as she had done for him. She let him draw her towards the bed. And she let the robe fall as she went, shameless as always before both of them. She stretched out on the bed beside them, pillowing her head on her arms. 

Will followed behind her and Hannibal regarded them both. "Tell me Will. Have you had much experience having sex with another man."

Will half shrugged as Abigail curled herself around him, her clever hands already finding their way under the hem of his t-shirt. "Once in college. I was uh… I was taking it, I guess you'd say."

Hannibal pouted in thought as he watched the two of them together. "And what was your impression of it?"

"Um… messy, honestly." Will responded, pausing for a kiss from Abigail. "But it felt good after we sort of got going."

Abigail gave an amused hum. "Good sex is always messy." She opined blithely.

Will turned and captured her mouth with his for a brief kiss, edged with his teeth. "I take it you're asking if I'd be willing to give a… repeat performance?"

Hannibal snorted softly. "I'm sure I can do better than some undergraduate cretin." he remarked with a sneer as he rummaged in the bedside drawer to retrieve a sizeable bottle of lube. Then he sank down on the mattress, curling on Will's other side. "Would you allow me the honor?"

Will kissed him, letting his teeth play along the capacious curve of Hannibal's mouth. Abigail's hand found the bulge in his jeans and she palmed it firmly making him moan aloud into Hannibal's parted lips, earning Will an answering roll from Hannibal's hips.

"We're really going to do this?" Will asked, his eyes glassy and unbelieving.

"Do you want it?" Hannibal asked, his thumb skating along Will's stubbled jawline.

"Yes." The word came out as a hiss as Abigail stroked him, stoking the fire that was coiling low in Will's belly.

Hannibal kissed him again. "Then take your clothes off please, and if you would arrange yourself on all fours."

Will nodded slowly. Abigail helped him pull his shirt off, and he quickly wriggled out of his jeans. Hannibal seemed to stop breathing when Will divested himself of his boxers.

"What?" Will asked as he rolled onto his stomach, half on top of Abigail.

"I would draw you like this." Hannibal said, staring with soft, hazy eyes. "Both of you

"Later." Abigail chided playfully. "The afterglow is even better. Trust me."

Hannibal laughed, a sound more felt than heard, and Will smiled too, obviously blushing even in the sparse light.

"I always feel so awkward at this part." Will said as he pressed up onto his hands and knees. "Like I should be doing something."

"Oh I'm sure Abigail can find some way to amuse you." Hannibal prompted, cutting her a sinfully conniving glance.

She smirked and wriggled her way further underneath Will and up against the pillows against the headboard. "You can always play with me." she purred, as she invitingly slid a single finger along the flushed seam between her legs.

Abigail had expected Will to use his hand, but instead he pressed his face into the damp cleft and licked a long, hot line over her clit. She shrieked with surprise and the sound quickly morphed into a reedy moan as he repeated the motion. As she sank her hands into his hair, Will abandoned himself to his ministrations, listening to her every gasp and cry and letting the world consist of nothing but the sound and taste of Abigail. Distantly, he was aware that Hannibal was stripping down, and moving behind him on the bed, but he didn't care. He wasn't planning to be interested in what Hannibal was about to do. Only in the end result.

But that was a miscalculation. Hannibal's attentions were nothing like the whiskey-hazed encounter some fifteen-odd years ago. Then the lube had been cold. The sheets had been scratchy. The initial touches had no gentleness or reverence. And his partner had been less interested in his pleasure in the act, and more interested in the outcome.

Hannibal, by contrast, was in no hurry, and peeled him open with endless care and attention. He circled Will's puckered entrance, pressing and stroking until the muscle finally began to give. As Hannibal slipped the tip of his finger inside, he reached around with his free hand to encircle Will's cock. He pumped him slowly as he worked his finger deeper, making Will moan open-mouthed against Abigail's pussy.

"That's it, Will." he encouraged, as he carefully delved deeper with each pass.

"Whatever you're doing, keep it up." Abigail panted as she propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look. "He's… he's about to make me come."

Everything between her legs felt sloppy and wet and soft. And whether he was aware of it or not, Will was still moaning against her pussy, the vibrations of his unstrung voice zinging out under her skin. She clutched at his hair and his shoulders as he licked and suckled on her clit.

"Oh Will… Oh God!" she gasped as her climax suddenly began to boil over. She collapsed back onto the pillow writhing as waves of ecstasy rippled out under her skin.

Hannibal had begun to add a second finger into Will's slowly acclimating hole. Will arched his back, and started rocking into Hannibal's hands, unsure if he was chasing more friction on his cock or more of Hannibal's fingers in his ass. But both Hannibal and Abigail agreed that he was a beautiful sight with his hair tousled and his face slick from Abigail's pussy. He was completely lost to both giving and receiving pleasure from both of them.

Hannibal twisted his fingers, scissoring them open and then crooking them in search of the soft bulge that marked Will's prostate. He found it after only a few seconds of questing, and as he drug the pads of his fingers gently over it Will bowed back off the bed with a long, keening cry. His already leaking cock dripped with precome as Hannibal stroked him.

Abigail sat forward, taking Will's face in her delicate hands and kissing him. He tasted of her and of the wine they'd been drinking with dinner. And he smelled of the night air, already redolent with the promise of the coming summer. He was beautiful like this, Abigail thought. Beautiful in how he was strung between them like a gossamer thread. 

"Someday," she breathed, her voice foggy with her recent climax. "I want to watch Hannibal take you apart like this for hours. And I'll lie underneath you, just out of reach of your aching cock, while he teases you. You'll have to beg for it."

"Not tonight? Are we feeling impatient?" Hannibal chided. He'd begun to work a third finger into Will, making his skin break out in a fine sheen of sweat.

She hummed, leaning up to lick into Will's open panting mouth. "I have a feeling I wouldn't be the only one begging tonight."

"I think you are correct." Hannibal patted Will's hip. "Are you ready, Will?"

Will could only grunt and vigorously nod. Hannibal gestured for Abigail to slide down a little further. She spread her legs wide and began to pull Will down on top of her.

"Go on, Will… take her." Hannibal encouraged, as Will lowered himself on trembling arms. "I'll follow shortly after." 

Will curled himself down over Abigail, sliding into the shivering heat of her body in a single rolling thrust. As she wrapped her arms around him, he couldn't stop himself from rocking gently inside her, relishing the friction on his aching length. 

"Are you ready Will?" Hannibal asked, balancing himself over him with one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip.

Will gave a rough, jerky nod looking up at Abigail as he did so. He had lost all ability to speak. She cradled his face as she held him fast against her. And she watched with awe at the emotions that flickered across Will's face as Hannibal began to press inside. Shock and uncertainty bled into want and fulfillment with a long, whining moan that made her insides ache. 

Hannibal bottomed out and gave a slow rock of his body that sent Will pushing into the tight heat of Abigail's body. They both moaned aloud at the sensation. "That's it." he whispered, his voice rough and fairly dripping with his accent. "That's it, darlings."

Abigail looked up to Hannibal's face with wide, dilated eyes. It was a sight to behold. Even though he'd had sex with her dozens and dozens of times in so many ways she couldn't count or remember them all, the way Hannibal gazed down at the two of them threatened to undo her. There was such awe and vulnerability in his face as he threw his head back and thrust into both of them again.

Will for his part had become little more than a bare nerve. A thing seeming to be designed only to feel and induce feeling. When Hannibal's first thrust had sent him rocking into Abigail in turn, his brain filled with a pleasant, foggy static through which only the soft words of his lovers and the electric pleasure of their bodies surrounding him could penetrate. Will felt so full and cocooned. He might have been making sounds, or simply gasping in order to remember how to breathe. He didn't know and he didn't care. All that mattered was this moment, and the slow, rolling rhythm Hannibal was setting up, and the hot, needy clutch of Abigail's body.

They were conjoined in that moment, the three of them. Caught in a slow, ecstatic dance as they moved together. Abigail, Will, and Hannibal couldn't be sure where one's pleasure ended and another's began, as every movement had them all arching into each other with hands that sought to caress and clutch at every turn. 

"Harder…" Will managed through gritted teeth. His moans had become piteous, needy whines that escaped through his clenched jaw. He was going to scream when he came, Abigail knew. He wanted to scream now.

For his part, Hannibal obliged pounding into Will with increasing ferocity, angling his hips so that the head of his cock stroked Will's prostate on every thrust. He bared his teeth as his head fell back. He looked every inch the feral predator that they loved and craved.

Pleasure bubbled up between all of them in concert. They all abandoned every pretense of words then. They were useless formalities in the wake of their joining. Muscles tensed. Voices came unhinged. Rhythms faltered and stuttered until all three of them could do nothing but cling to each other and wail.

They fell together into a hapless, limp tangle of sweaty limbs. Weakly, Will attempted to hold onto both of them as if they might catch the night wind and disappear into the dark.

"It's alright." Hannibal soothed as he spooned them together. He was the first to find his words again, but he could manage no more than that as he curled himself around Will. "We aren't going far."

Abigail mirrored him, kissing his brow and folding herself against Will's chest. Her voice still failed her, and so she let her kisses and trailing fingers speak for her.

"I… I love you both." Will whispered roughly, unable to raise his head to look at either of them as he said it. 

Hannibal was rendered speechless again, pressing his forehead to the nape of Will's neck and clinging to him. Those words were not something he expected to hear, let alone so soon.

Abigail smiled then and their dark bedroom may have well been filled with the sunshine of midday. She looked young again. Like Will had imagined her before they'd ever met. "We love you too." she whispered, kissing him and sinking down into the pillows. 

***


	6. Ran Straight Out of Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will awoke after the sun was up. It painted long swathes of gold across the floorboards and bedspread. He was alone in the master suite, though the smell of Abigail and of Hannibal clung to the sheets, or perhaps just to him. He could hear water running in the bathroom, but beyond that he could hear a loud clamor coming from the kitchen. At first he thought it might be Hannibal busy making breakfast, but he soon realized the sounds had no order. They were sharp and punctuated by grunts and a voice. A strange deep voice that was oddly familiar even muffled by the walls.
> 
> Will's heart plummeted into his stomach and he pulled on his jeans to race downstairs. The scene that awaited him was one out of every nightmare he'd had since they arrived in Tuscany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are! The end of the road, for this fic at least. I might write a one-shot or two about the Murder!Family's adventures in Cuba, but for now I leave them here. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and for all your kind comments and bountiful kudos. If you want to follow my antics on Tumblr you can find me at the handle littlethingwithfeathers. 
> 
> And many thanks to sienna_smilla for encouraging me in writing this fic. You should totally check out her fanfic on here. She's amazing.
> 
> Until next time everyone! All the best and nothing but love!

Will awoke after the sun was up. It painted long swathes of gold across the floorboards and bedspread. He was alone in the master suite, though the smell of Abigail and of Hannibal clung to the sheets, or perhaps just to him. He could hear water running in the bathroom, but beyond that he could hear a loud clamor coming from the kitchen. At first he thought it might be Hannibal busy making breakfast, but he soon realized the sounds had no order. They were sharp and punctuated by grunts and a voice. A strange deep voice that was oddly familiar even muffled by the walls.

Will's heart plummeted into his stomach and he pulled on his jeans to race downstairs. The scene that awaited him was one out of every nightmare he'd had since they arrived in Tuscany.

Agent Jack Crawford had Hannibal down and cornered in the kitchen, and was repeatedly kicking him in the ribs and gut. Pans and knives were flung everywhere, having been used as weapons of desperation by Hannibal. Jack wore a holster, but the gun was nowhere to be seen. Probably kicked under the counter or the table. There was no time to look for it now. Will grabbed a knife from the block at his elbow and sprang towards Jack, teeth bared like a feral animal. 

He caught Jack around the waist and they both went flying. Will attempted to slip the knife between his ribs but the angle was wrong and it skidded off a bone without doing more than just breaking the skin. But Jack still howled in pain and wrenched himself from Will's grasp. Will adjusted his grip on the knife, happy that while he hadn't incapacitated Jack, he'd at least gotten between him and Hannibal. And he still had the knife. Jack appeared to be unarmed for the moment.

"So this is where you've been hiding." Jack growled. "I let you literally get away with murder, and you repay me by running off to Tuscany with the cannibal you're supposed to help me catch."

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you, Jack." Will said, looking down at Hannibal. He was awake and breathing, though he looked worse for the wear. He definitely wasn't standing up anytime soon.

"Well, you are damn right about that." Jack answered. "He set you up. He murdered Abigail Hobbs."

"I forgave him, Jack." Will said, his eyes darting around hoping to spy the missing gun so he would know if Jack went for it.

"You forgave him?" Jack shouted incredulously. "That's the most fucked up thing I've ever heard."

"I forgave him because he's the only person that understands me. You certainly never did, or you would have left me in that classroom." 

Jack roared and lunged again, and Will swung wide and clumsily with the knife. Jack evaded and Will let him land a blow across his cheek and send him to the floor rather than give up his position between Jack and Hannibal.

Will spit blood as Jack came to stand over him where he coiled like a wounded animal. "Come back with me, Will." he pleaded. "I'll… I can make all this go away. Say you were brainwashed. Say it was encephalitis again. But this is insanity. It can't be what you really want. Come back to Quantico with-"

"No." A cold voice snarled. Jack half turned as a shot rang out, echoing off the stone tiled floor and ringing through the arched ceiling like a crack of thunder. They all froze, casting wide eyed looks all about.

The first sound after the ringing of the shot was a low, desperate gurgle from Jack. He slumped to the ground and clutching his throat as blood fountained from the severed jugular.

Hannibal and Will both looked up and saw Abigail standing with Jack's gun in hand, frozen as if she were a statue of a modern Artemis. Will’s heart seized. He expected her to panic as she watched Jack slowly bleed out on their kitchen floor. But she didn’t. She just watched, her face a lovely, implacable mask. The muzzle of the gun stayed trained on Jack until he stilled in the widening pool of blood, and it never so much as wavered.

"Abigail?" Jack gurgled out the ruin of her name, before the light faded from his eyes.

“He was going to hurt you." Abigail said softly. She hadn't lifted her eyes from the kill, but Will knew she was addressing them. "Possibly kill one of you, or maybe all of us.” There was a calm practicality to her tone that reminded Will of when she was still in the hospital back in Baltimore.

Hannibal straightened, regarding her. “That is certainly possible.”

"He was going to take you from me." she said, her grip on the gun tightening along with her voice. Then she looked up to Will with wild desperation in her eyes. “We have to go, don’t we? We can't stay here. I’m sorry. I just… I wanted him to stop.”

Will went to her first, letting her rid herself of the weapon as he folded her to his chest like a frightened bird.

"They can't have you." she declared, clutching Will's bare shoulders, blood smearing under her hands. "You're mine. Both of you. They can't take you from me."

"They won't. They won't, Abigail." Will said, rocking her and petting her hair. "Come on, we're going to help Hannibal, and then figure out what to do. One thing at a time."

When they turned, Hannibal was already scrabbling to his feet. "I'm alright." he grunted, pressing a bruised hand to his side. "I might have a cracked rib, but nothing life-threatening. I'll just need to tape it before we leave."

Will dispassionately used Jack's thumb to unlock his phone. "Looks like he was tracking your purchase history, Hannibal." he said, scrolling through some files. "But it seems he came alone. I don't see any official files from the FBI or Interpol." 

Hannibal nodded. "I will have to be more careful in future. Come. We will hide the body, and pack, and be gone before dinner. Will, with all your experience working on boats as a young man, you wouldn't happen to know how to sail, would you?"

"I do actually."

"On the open ocean?"

"It's been awhile, but yeah."

Hannibal pouted his lips in thought. "I hear Havana is nice this time of year."

"Cuba? Really?" Abigail asked with wide, luminous eyes.

"Really." Hannibal confirmed, reeling her in for a ginger hug, wincing when her hand unerringly found his sore ribs.

"I don't speak Spanish." she sighed.

"Neither do I, actually." Hannibal admitted with a small shrug. "Aside from the basic pleasantries needed for travel."

"I do." Will said, threading his fingers first with Abigail's and then with Hannibal's. "At least enough to get us rolling. It's a lot like Italian actually. Come on… one step at a time."

***


End file.
